Better Charms than Transfiguration?
by Healer Pomfrey
Summary: Hermione hides an ailment behind concealment charms that lead to the question between Hermione and Harry "Better Transfiguration than Charms or the other way round?" Set just after taking their NEWTs; completely AU, sick!Hermione


**Better ****Charms than Transfiguration**

Hermione woke up, sighing in annoyance as she noticed the headache was once again bothering her just like every day during the last five days, ever since she had ended her relationship with Ronald Weasley on the last day of their NEWTs week.

Just like on the previous days, she took a Muggle headache pill and hurried to get ready for class, noticing that this time the medicine only helped so much. '_Why can't that headache wait until the holidays begin in a week's time_?' she thought in desperation, resolving to take another pill. Finally, she dragged herself down to the common room, glad that Harry was patiently waiting for her.

"Hi Mione, is everything all right?" Harry queried, throwing her a sharp look.

"Yes of course," she replied briskly, before she apologized for her tardiness. '_Thank God it's already Wednesday, and we have the whole weekend to rest, before my last week as a student begins_,' she mused on their way to the Great Hall, although a small voice at the back of her mind spoke up, '_Your schedule will be much harder when you take over the Charms professor's position in September_.'

Hermione dragged herself through her morning classes, unaware of the fact that her former Head of House was watching her like a hawk. When she sat down next to Harry at the Gryffindor table at lunchtime, she noticed that her headache was getting worse by the hour and that she wasn't hungry in the least.

"Harry, I'm not hungry. I'll go back to the common room and take a nap. Can you wake me up in time for the afternoon classes?" she whispered to her best friend, causing the boy to frown.

"Mione, I'm going to come with you," he said firmly, and the two seventh years did their best to leave the Great Hall in an unobtrusive way. Back in the common room, Hermione let herself sink onto one of the sofas, sighing in relief as she sat down, resting her achy head against the back of the sofa.

"Mione, are you ill?" Harry queried in concern, taking in that her face was extremely pale. However, her cheeks were flushed, and she had dark rings under her eyes that looked slightly glazed over. "You definitely look ill, and if you ask me, Professor McGonagall already noticed it and is close to dragging you to the hospital wing."

"Speaking of McGonagall, Harry, are you looking forward to teaching Transfiguration from September onwards?" Hermione efficiently changed the topic, resolving to cast a glamour charm on herself at the next opportunity.

"Well, _better Transfiguration than Charms_," Harry smirked, before he called Dobby and asked him to bring two bowls of chicken noodle soup for them.

"Harry, I can't eat right now," Hermione mumbled, noticing that her throat was getting sore as well. "I'll take a nap during History of Magic. Can you come and wake me up before Charms?"

"I'll do that, provided you stay here or in my dormitory since I can't access yours," Harry replied softly.

"All right. I'll only return to my dormitory for a few minutes to take some Muggle medicine, and then I'll lie down here on the sofa." With that Hermione retreated to her dormitory and cast two charms on herself, one that would hide her sickly appearance and one that would hide the warmth of her skin as she felt that she was running a temperature.

When Harry returned to the common room to wake her up, he noticed in relief that she looked much better. However, Hermione didn't feel better, and when she woke up on Friday morning she wondered if she would make it through the day. '_Thank God we only have the morning classes and one afternoon class left, and then it's the weekend. I'll skip the Hogsmeade visit tomorrow_,' she decided as she cast the glamour charms on herself, before she descended to the common room, looking refreshed as if she had just woken up from a good night's sleep.

After dinner, she sat together in the common room with Harry and Ron. Glancing around at her excited House mates, who were planning their excursion to Hogsmeade on the next day, she threw a silencing spell around her friends and herself before she told them, "I'm sorry, but I can't go with you tomorrow."

"Why not?" Harry and Ron asked simultaneously, looking at her, flabbergasted.

"I want to begin making up my lesson plans for the next school year," Hermione lied. "Professor Flitwick promised to help me, and although I know that he's going to remain at Hogwarts as History of Magic teacher, I don't want to ask him after I take over his position. I'd prefer to prepare as much as I can now."

The two boys looked at each other, rolling their eyes, before Harry extended a hand to Hermione's forehead, stating, "No, she doesn't feel as if she had a fever. I thought you were delirious, Mione."

'_Thank God for the concealment charm_,' Hermione thought, rolling her eyes in exasperation.

HP HEALER POMFREY HP

None of the three Gryffindors knew that at the same time Hermione was one of the main topics in the teachers' staff meeting.

"I'm a bit concerned about Ms. Granger's well-being," McGonagall spoke up. "The other day, she looked outright ill, and now she seems to be all right but she behaves as if she was suffering from something."

"I know what you mean, Minerva," Sprout agreed. "She drags herself around as if she was ill."

"Seeing that she is going to take over Filius' position from September onwards, she must be very good at Charms. Maybe she is just covering her ailment with concealment charms," Snape spoke up evenly. "If she manages to drag herself to Hogsmeade tomorrow, I can unobtrusively check on her if you wish me to do so," he offered, throwing Minerva a questioning look.

"Yes please Severus," McGonagall replied firmly, "although it can't be so bad if she decides to spend the day in Hogsmeade."

HP HEALER POMFREY HP

In the morning, Hermione didn't even bother to replace her charms. She only took a short walk to the bathroom and returned to her dormitory immediately afterwards, instructing Lavender to tell Harry she had overslept and he shouldn't wait for her and go to breakfast. Back in her bed, she curled up deep under her covers, soon drifting off into a fever induced slumber.

HP HEALER POMFREY HP

Harry frowned at the news but followed Ron to the Great Hall, knowing that Hermione wouldn't accompany them to Hogsmeade anyway. '_I'll buy a package of chocolate frogs for her_,' he resolved as he left the castle together with his best friend.

"Potter, Weasley, where is Ms. Granger?" McGonagall suddenly cornered them on their way down to the town.

"She wanted to work on her lesson plans for the next school year," Harry explained, only to add, "because she wanted to discuss things with Professor Flitwick before the end of the school year," as he noticed the professor's unbelieving look.

"Why didn't she attend breakfast?" the Headmistress queried sternly.

Harry sighed. "Lavender told me she had overslept and I should go ahead." As soon as the explanation had left his mouth he realized how unbelievable it was. '_Hermione doesn't oversleep. She never did in seven Hogwarts years_.' "Professor, shall I go and look if she's okay?" he queried, concern clearly written on his face.

"No, it's all right, Mr. Potter, enjoy your day in Hogsmeade, I'll go and check on her," McGonagall replied in a soft voice, gently patting Harry's shoulder, before she headed back inside the castle.

HP HEALER POMFREY HP

McGonagall quietly entered the Gryffindor seventh year girls' dormitory, heading straight to Hermione's bed. The girl was lying on her stomach, clutching her pillow with both arms. The professor sat down on the edge of the bed, gently laying the back of her hand on the girl's forehead, letting out a small gasp as she felt the heat the girl radiated.

"Hermione, what's wrong?" she queried softly, while she pointed her wand at a tissue on the night table, transfiguring it into a thermometer. "Open your mouth and keep it under your tongue please," she instructed the student, seeing that she couldn't get an answer out of the girl, and stuck the thermometer under Hermione's tongue.

Feeling too bad to protest, Hermione simply opened her mouth and closed it around the icy cold stick. She remained unmoving, merely turning her glassy eyes to her favourite teacher, who was observing her in concern as the number on the digital display increased quickly, until the thermometer finally beeped and the teacher took it back with a frown.

"You have a very high fever, Ms. Granger," McGonagall said softly. "I have to take you to the hospital wing."

"No Professor, I have to do my homework," Hermione whispered, panicking. "Otherwise I'll fail my Transfiguration NEWTs and Gryffindor will be five thousand points in the negative, and..."

"Everything is all right, Ms. Granger. Your NEWTs are already finished, and you did very well in all of them. Gryffindor doesn't have any negative House points. You only have to rest and get back to health soon, so you can enjoy your summer holidays," McGonagall told her favourite student in a soft voice, before she put the delirious girl on a quickly conjured stretcher and took her to the hospital wing.

"She has the wizard's measles," Madam Pomfrey informed McGonagall of her diagnosis, seeing that Hermione had drifted off to a potions induced Healing sleep. "She'll have to stay with me for about three weeks. Thank God it hit someone who is going to become a teacher here; otherwise it would be difficult to keep her over the holidays."

"Then let's just hope that she didn't pass it to anyone else," the Headmistress replied dryly.

During the following week, Hermione spent most of the time asleep, drifting from one fever induced nightmare into the next. McGonagall and Pomfrey often sat on the edge of her bed, waking her up when she dreamed about unfinished homework and loss of house points.

One night, Hermione woke up as someone whispered her name. She lazily opened her eyes and looked around the blurry room. Only a few torches were lit between the windows, and Madam Pomfrey's office lay in the dark, so it had to be the middle of the night. '_Why did I wake up? Is someone here?_' she wondered.

"Mione, are you awake?" she suddenly heard Harry's voice, and her friend appeared at her side from under his invisibility cloak.

"Harry, what are you doing here?" Hermione whispered hoarsely.

"Mione, I need you to teach me your glamour charms," Harry whispered back, and Hermione noticed that he looked as pale as a ghost. "I probably got the wizard's measles from you, but I don't want to miss the Leaving feast tomorrow night. I'm sorry for you because you definitely won't be able to attend, but I want to enjoy my graduation before I come and keep you company here for the next few weeks."

"You'll only aggravate your condition further," Hermione lectured him, causing Harry to snort. '_Oh well, he's right; I'm not much better_,' she realized and reached for her wand, casting the required spells on her friend.

"Remember, Harry, _better Charms than Transfiguration_," she finally said, smirking as she returned her wand under her pillow.

**The End**

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I'm not a native speaker of English. Please excuse my mistakes or help me to correct them._

_All recognizable characters belong to J. K. Rowling, and I am not earning anything by writing this story._


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